Adjustable leg iron for climbers



Aug. 1.9, 1952 c. w. BENNINGTON' 2,'.6307522 ADJUSTABLE LEG IRON 'FR CLIMBERS Filed may 17. 194sv ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 19, 1952 UNITED n rEs ADJUSTABL LEG IRON FOR CLIMBERS corporation of New York Application lvlay 17, v1943, Serial No. 27,469

10 Claimsa 1 Other objects and features of the inventionI will become vapparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a pole climber embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged side view of the top of the leg iron illustrating the extensible feature.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a somewhat different embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 is a section on the line of Figure 5, and

Figure 7 is a section on the line 7 1 of Figure 5.

Referring now to Figures 1 4, the pole climbers comprise a leg iron il! formed of strap metal and having a lower transversely bent portion ll adapted to be engaged beneath the foot of the user. Projecting outwardly from the leg iron l0 is a spur or prong i2.' At the outer end of the laterally extending portion l I is a bracket I3 supporting a ring I4 to which a strap l5 and buckle i6 are secured.

The invention is intended to provide for extensibility of the leg iron and for this purpose there is provided an extensible sleeve 29 which is slidably mounted adjacent the upper end of the leg iron IG. As best seen in Figure 4 the sleeve comp-rises two pieces of sheet metal, the first being indicated at 25 and having forwardly extending flanges 26, inwardly extending portions 27, and crimped portions 26. The second piece of sheet metal is in the forni of an elongated strip 3Q having forwardly extending iianges 3l over which the crimped portions 28 are formed. The sleeve may be completed by welding the crimped portions 28 to the flanges 3 I.

As best seen in Figures 2 and 3, the sleeve lportion 2D is provided with an elongated slot 33 and a forwardly extending loop 34.

The upper end of the leg iron lil is provided with an outwardly projecting pin which in Figure 3 is illustrated as formed by a socket headed bolt. The pin 35 passes through the slot CES-and in this embodiment of the invention the head of the pin 35 overlies the edges of the slot as well illustrated in Figures 2 and 4.

At its lower'end, as indicated. at Se, the lsleeve 2t has pivotec theret a locking leaf te, this leaf having a-plurality of openings i2 therein,lany one of which may t over the projecting end of the pin or bolt In'addition', the lockingleaf 40 has adjacent its upper end an elongated eye or slot lili for receiving the loop 3G,

Referring again to Figure l thereV is provideda leg strap and guard assembly at the upper end of the sleeve 2U which comprises a flat leather guard irl having leather loops t6, fl'i and 48 and carrying a leg strap di! which extends through the loops el and i8 and which be passed' through the loop 311 carried :by the upper end of the sleeve 2).

With the construction just described,` it will be apparent that with the parts in the relationship illustrated in Figure 1, the leaf lil is retained in position with the pin 35 extending through a desired or selected one of the openings i2 and is held in this position by the strap 5 which passes through the loop 34 and overlies the upper free end of the leaf dil. In order to adjust the eliective length of the leg iron it, it is necessary lirst to withdraw the leg strap i9 from the loop 34 and to move the Vstrap E55 downwardly below the pivot 3S; Thereafter the leaf @il may be swung outwardly about its pivot '39 to release it from the locking pin t5 at which time the sleeve 20 may be slid upwardly or'downwardly to effect the desired adjustment. When this adjustment is made the leaf is again Vmoved inwardly 'to cause the pin 35 to project through the desired one of the openings 42 and to cause the slot M? to pass over the loop 34. Thereafter, the guard 45 is moved upwardly to the position shown in Figure land the leg strap #is is passed through the loop Sil. v

Attention is directed to the fact that theprovision of the forwardlyproiecting flanges 3l on the sleeve element 35 and the crimped portions 28 of the sleeve element 25 provides guard iianges which lie closely aeent to the edges of the leaf di) when the leaf is in locking position. The leaf 49 may Aconveniently :be of relatively lig-ht sheet metal andthe yprovision of these guard flanges protect the leaf during use from being engaged at its edges andbent.

Referring now to Figures 7, a substantially similar construction is illustrated and only the points of difference will be described. In this case the upper end of the leg iron I Il) is provided with an outwardly projecting pin I I I, in this case the pin being shown as suitably secured in an opening formed in the leg iron Il. The adjustable sleeve I I 2 is similar to the sleeve 20 with the exception that the pin receiving openings I I3 formed in the pivoted locking leaf I I4 are correspondingly small to cooperate with the relatively small locking pin III. The leaf II4 is provided at its upper end with an elongated slot H5 for receiving the leg strap loop IIB which is carried by the upper end of the sleeve I I2.

Both embodiments of the present invention provide ready operable means for adjusting the effective length of the leg iron. In both cases means are provided which positively prevents accidental disengagement between the leg iron proper and its extension. In both embodiments of the invention, protecting means are provided adjacent the lateral edges of the locking leaf. More particularly, both embodiments of the invention include means for positively insuring that the locking means for the leg iron extension cannot become released while the leg iron is in use, since the means for kpreventing disengagement of the locking means is the leg strap 49 which of course is buckled in place when the climber is in use.

Asa further modification the strip 30 which carries the eye 34 may if desired be only suiiciently long to support the ends of the eye 34, the remainder being omitted. In this case the leaf 40 may be pivoted by a pin passing through openings formed in the flanges 3| and crimped portions 28. This construction provides access to the interior of the extensible sleeve to permit clearing it out as required.

The drawings and the foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved adjustable leg iron for climbers in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the

scope of which is indicated by the appendedv claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A climber leg iron having a locking pin adjacent its upper end, an extension slidably carried at the upper end of said iron, a locking element having a series of Vpin receiving openings and effective, when`said pin is engaged in one of said openings, to prevent sliding of said extension on said leg iron, said element being mounted on said extension for movement relative toy said extension between pin engaging and pin releasing position, a leg strap releasably carried by said extension and disposed to prevent movement of said element to pin releasing position when said strapY is in operative position in any position of adjustment of said eX- tension.

2. A climber leg iron, a longitudinally slidable extension at the upper end of said leg iron, a leg strap loop on said extension, a leaf pivoted to said extension having a loop-receiving eye therein, and cooperating locking means on said leaf and leg iron engageable to prevent sliding of said extension on said leg iron when said loop is in said eye, and a` leg strap removably carried by said loop and overlying said leaf to prevent accidental displacement of said extension.

3'. A climber leg iron, a longitudinally slidable extension at the upper end of said leg iron, a leg strap loop on said extension, a leaf pivoted to said extension having a loop-receiving eye therein, and cooperating loc-king means on said leaf and leg iron engageable to prevent sliding of said extension on said leg iron when said loop is in said eye, and a leg strap removably carried by said loop and overlying said leaf to prevent accidental displacement of said extension, said locking means comprising a pin and a plurality of spaced pin receiving openings.

4. A climber leg iron having a pin spaced from but adjacent to its upper end; an extension sleeve slidable on the upper end of said leg iron, having a slotreceivin'g said pin, and having a strapreceiving loop located above said slot; a leaf pivoted at its lower end to said sleeve, having a plurality of pin. receiving openings, and having a loop-receiving eye at its upper free end.

5. A climber leg iron having a pin spaced from but adjacent to its upper end; an extension sleeve slidable on the upper end of said leg iron, having a slot receiving said pin, and having a strap-receiving loop located above said slot; a leaf pivoted at its lower end to said sleeve, having a plurality of pin receiving openings, and having a loop-receiving eye at its upper free end; said sleeve having outwardly projectingy flanges disposed to lie closely adjacent to the edges of said leaf when said leaf is in position to engage said pin and said loop. 6. vA climber leg iron, an extension slidable on the upper end of said leg iron, means for carrying a leg strap on said extension, locking means including a releasable locking member mounted on said extension for movement thereon between locking and release position for securing said extension to said leg iron in adjusted position, the leg strap, when in position, engaging said member and preventing accidental release of said locking member in any position of adjustment of said extension.

7. A climber leg iron, an extension slidable on the upper end of said leg iron, means for carrying a leg strap on said extension, locking means including a releasable locking member carried by said extension for securing said extension to said leg iron in adjusted position, the leg strap,

when in position, engaging said member and preventing accidental release of said locking member in any position. of adjustment of said eX- tension.

8. A climber leg iron, van extension slidable on the upper end of said leg iron, means for carrying a leg strap on said extension, locking means including a member carried by said iron and a releasable locking member carried by said extension for engaging said first member and securing said extension to said leg iron in adjusted position, said member having a portion engaged by the leg strap to hold said member in locked position in any position of adjustment of said extension.

9. A climber leg iron, an extension slidable on the upper end of said leg iron, means for locking the extension in adjusted position, means for securing the leg iron to the leg of a user, said last mentioned means being removable to permit adjustment of said extension and being effective when in operable position to retain said locking means in locked position in any position of adjustment of said extension.

10. A climber leg iron having a shank formed of a flat metal strip, an extension sleeve formed of sheet metal, said sleeve comprising a rst element tting around one surface and both edges of said shank and having inturned flanges overlying the other surface of said shank and a second element intermediate said flanges, theredges of said elements being crimped to define outwardly extending beads, a pin on said shank, one of said elements having a slot in which said pin is movable as said sleeve is adjusted along said shank, a locking leaf pivoted to said sleeve formed of sheet metal and disposed to fit between said beads in locking position, said leaf having a plurality of pin receiving openings, a strap receiving loop carried by said sleeve adjacent its upper end, said leaf having a slot therein to receive said loop, the upper attaching strap receivable in said loop thereby prevent- 15 ing swinging of said leaf to pin-releasing position.

CLYDE. W. BENNINGTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references arel of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS ,0 Number Name Date 613,007 Howard Oct. 25, 1893 693,433 Owens Feb. 18, 1902 743,211 Alexander Nov. 3, 1903 1,174,347 Ranney Mar. 7, 1916 

